Dredging-scoop



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

N. B. UUSI-IIIIG.

DREDGING SCOOP.

No. 396,921. Patented Jan. 29, 1889.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

N. B. UUSHINGI 'DREDGING scour.

No. 396.921. Patented Jan. 29, 1-889.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

N. (JUSHING. DR-EDGING senor.

No. 396,921. Patented Jan. 29, 1889.

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NICHOLS B. CUSI'IING, OF JERSEY CITY, NEN JERSEY.

DREDGlNG-SCOOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,921, dated January29, 1889.

Application filed October 25, 1388. Serial No. 289,109. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NICHOLS B. CUSHING, a citizen of the United States,residing at '72 Grand street, Jersey City, Hudson county, New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dredging Scoops,fully described and represented in the following specification, and theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to such dredgingbuckets as have the jaws ormovable sections of the scoop pivoted by links to a headblock andthelever-arms of the sections con nected with a bottom or foot blockmovable to and from such head-block; and the invention consists in animproved construction for the pulley-gearing used to draw the head andfoot blocks together by means of the suspending ropes or chains. Thegearing is adapted for application to the so-called clam-shell scoop orgrapple having only two jaws, or to I link, I), and arm cl removed andring 11 in section. Fig. 2 is a plan of the bucket with the parts aboveline .70 a: in Fig. 1 removed. Fig. is an elevation of the bucket withthe scoop-sections opened, with the ring in section where hatched online 3 y in Fig. 2, and the closing mechanism removed. Fig. 4 is a planof the same bucket with the parts intermediate to the head-block and thescoop-sections removed and the arms (1 broken off.

Fig. 5 is a plan of the bucket and its arms alone. Fig. 6 is a plan ofthe pulleys with their bearings and guard. Fig. 7 is an edge view of thetop and foot blocks with the in termediate pulleys. Fig. 8 is a view,similar to Fig. 7, of a construction with the pulleybearings on thefoot-block, the scoop-section arms jointed directly to the foot-blockand the top block in section at its center line.

In Figs. 1 to T the bucket or scoop is shown of nearly hemisphericalshape and made of four radial sections, a, pivoted by pins a to thelower ends of the links 1), which at their upper ends are pivoted bypins b to the headblock An arm, (Z, is secured rigidly at its outer endto each of the sections, and is pivoted by pin (1 at its inner end to alink, e, suspended from the foot-block c.

' Bearings f are shown in Figs. 1 and 7 pro jected downward from theblockc to carry the pulley-shaft g, and two pulleys, h h, are mountedclose together upon the middle part of such shaft. Each of the saidpulleys has fixed to it a hub, j, and the ends of chains in 717' areaiiixed to such hubs on opposite sides and linked by pins Z to thefoot-block c. The bearings f and chains 7t 7t thus connect the blocks 0and 6 adj ustably, and backing-ropes Z Z are shown in Fig. 1 affixed tothe rims of the pulleys 72. It, to wind and unwind thereon in adirection opposite to that in which the chains wind and unwind on thehubs j. The drawing up of the backing-ropes thus operates simultaneouslyupon the opposite sides of the two pulleys, and simultaneously winds upthe two chains It It, and draws the footblock toward the head-block toclose the sections of the scoop, as it is represented in Fig. 1.

The ropes H are extended upward through an opening or openings, 0, inthe head-block 0, above which point they would be connected together andto the hoisting-tackle of the dredging apparatus.

The head-block is shown provided upon its upper side with a lug, m, withwhich it would also be connected with the hoisting apparatus by a chain.Vtith this construction the bucket would be opened to receive its chargeby lowering the block 6, as indicated in Fig. 3, where the sections aare indicated in their open position. Only the two side sections, a, areshown in this figure. The block is lowered, as is usual in suchconstructions, by backing or lowering the ropes l I, or independentlydrawing up the head-block c by a chain connected to the lug m.

\Vhen the block 6 is jointed to the ends of the arms d by links 6, it isnecessary to tie the fulcrum-bolts a together, as the connection of thearms with the links 6 leaves the sections free to move outward withoutrestraint. Such tie may be provided by merely extending diagonal bracesbetween the several bolts, as shown in the dotted lines b at two placesin Fig. 2; but a more rigid construction is shown in full lines in Fig.2, in the form of a circular frame, N, with four radiatingarms b theends of which are pivoted to the arms, d by bolts a inserted through thearms adj acent to the bolts a lVhen the foot-block is lowered, themovement of the arms draws the ends of the links 6 outward in nearly astraight line with one another and the block 6, as shown in Fig. Thisarrangement of the links and block thus forms a toggle-connectionbetweenthe inner ends of the arms d, by which great force is easilyexerted upon the sections when first moving together in the act ofclosing. The brace b 1)", which carries the fulcra of the sev eralsections, falls during the opening of the sections, as indicated in Fig.3, and the foot block (2 moves through it without obstruction inoperating the arms (I. The pulleys are shown in the drawings withgrooves to receive wire ropes, and a guard, at, is provided he neath thepulleys to hold such ropes in the grooves; but it is obvious that chainsmaybe used by suitably forming the edges of the pulleys. The object ofemploying the ropes and chains attached to pulleys and to hubs ofdifferent relative diameters is to increase the leverage of the forceexerted by the pulley-ropes, and where two ropes have been used inconnection with two pulleys heretofore they have been applied upon theopposite sides of such pulleys to balance the strain and to cause thesuspended bucket to hang vertically beneath the hoisting tackle, as inUnited States Patent No. 194,651, dated August 28, 1877.

WVhere a single pulley has been used with hubs or drums upon oppositesides to operate two chains for drawing the blocks 0 and c together, ithas beenimpossible to make the connections to the pulley and to the hubsboth operate upon the center line of the bucket, and the bucket istherefore liable to hang in a tipped position unless the pulley isplaced at one side of the center, which is a very illconvenientarrangement where a pulley of large size is used.

By the use of two separate pulleys mounted upon the same shaft or pivot,as in my construction, the balancing of the applied force is perfectlysecured without moving the pulley from the center line of the bucket,and the same dimensions can be given to the two pulleys that could begiven to a single pulley in the same position. Heretofore in cases wherethe balancing of the forces has been secured by the use of two pulleysand drums the pulleys have been mounted upon separate axles at adistance from the center line, as in United States Patent No. 194,651,dated August 28, 1877, No. 391,331, dated October 16, 1888, and No.341,763, dated May 11, 1886.

To secure the greatest leverage for the applied power, it is sometimesdesirable to form the pulley as large as possible within a bucket ofgiven dimensions, and yet confine the working parts within the margin ofthe bucket, so that it may be introduced within a well or tube, ifrequired.

\Vhen the two pulleys which are used to balance the drawing strain oftheir two ropes or chains are mounted upon separate shafts at oppositesides of the center line, as in Patent No. 341,763, their dimensions arenecessarily much less in a bucket of the same size than would bepossible with my construction, and the expense of constructing theheadblocks and pulley -bearings is materially greater than when a singlepulley-shaft is used, as in my construction.

By my invention the utmost simplicity and eheapness of construction aresecured, and the parts are closely confined to the center line. In myconstruction the strains upon the hoisting-chain attached to the lug mand upon the backing-ropes Z I operate to draw them toward the center ofthe bucket, and the bucket is thus suspended and operated in the mostadvantageous position.

The function of the pulleys provided each with the hub j and chain or 70is merely to draw the top and bottom blocks together, and such being thecase it is obvious that my improvements may be applied to any deviceoperating as a bucket, scoop, or grapple, and provided either with clawsor with two or more jaws operating to form a close receptacle.

The term scoop is used in the claims appended hereto as having a broadersignificance than the term bucket, because open jaws are adapted toscoop up loose or broken articles, while close jaws of sheet metal areequally adapted to scoop up mud and quicksand, and the term sections, asused herein, is equally applicable to either claws or sheetmetal jawswhen movably opposed to one another.

The top and bottom blocks may be made of any convenient form withoutdeparting from 4 my invention, the essential feature of the gearingbeing the arrangement of two pulleys pivoted upon a single shaft, andhaving chains wound upon their hubs in the manner herein described.

By attaching the pulley-bearings to the head-block and suspending thefoot-block from the chains 70 71",, which are wound upon the drums j,the foot-block is afforded considerable freedom of movement when thejaws are closing, and is therefore enabled to yield more or'less in anydirection if one of the bucket-scoop sections a encounters anobstruction and offers a special resistance to the movement of theblock. The links 6, as will be noticed in Figs. 1 and 2, are socured tothe block at four points, and any greater resistance applied to one linkthan to another would result in tipping the block, and thus prevent anyinjury that might result to the section if the block were held rigidlyand incapable of yielding in any direction. My improved arrangement forthe pulleys h h and drums jupon a single shaft may, however, be used indredging-scoops in which IIO the 1nflley-bearings are attached to thefootblock and the arms of the scoop-sections a are pivoted directlythereto. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 8, where the head-block isshown in section to show the attachment of the chains 70 7c by bolts Zand the slot 0, through which the ropes Z l are passed. Only the innerends of the section-arms (l are shown in this figure, and the bolts (Zin their inner ends operate to joint them directly to lugs (i formedupon the block e, instead of to the sockets (1, (shown in Figs. 1, 2,and 7,) to receive the upper ends of the links 6.

The object of the links 6, which are specifically claimed herein, is tofacilitate the tipping of the block when one of the sections is resistedmore than another in the closing operation, and it is obvious that anyform of link would effect the same result, and that a jointed link orpiece of chain would be a precise equivalent for the straight bar shownin the link 6 in the drawings.

Having thus set forth my invention, what I claim herein is 1. Adredging-scoop having the scoop-sections linked to a head-block andprovided with lever-arms, a foot-block jointed to the said arms, apulley-shaft fitted to bearings upon one of the blocks, the pulleys h h,fitted to the said shaft, and the chains 7i: 71$, attached to the hubsof the pulleys and to the other block, the whole being suspended andoperated substantially as herein set forth.

- 2 In a dredgingscoop, the combination, with the scoop-sections linked.to a headblock and provided with lever-arms, of a foot-block jointed bylinks to the said arms, bearings projected downward from the top block,a shaft fitted to such bearings across the center line of the scoop, twopulleys side by side upon such shaft, provided each with a hub and achain attached thereto and to the foot-block, and two ropes or chainsattached to the opposite sides of the pulleyrims and extended upwardthrough an opening in the head-block, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a dredging-scoop, the combination, with the scoop-sections a,head-block 0, links Z), and lever-arms d, of the foot block e, jointedby links to the arms (I, bearings f, attached to the top block, theshaft c, the pulleys h h, provided each with hub j, the chains 797a,attached to the hubs and to the footblock 2, and a brace pivotallyconnected with the arms d, as by the bolts a and operating with thebolts to form fulcra for the movements of the seoopsections,substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

NICHOLS B. (BUSHING.

Vitnesses:

THos. S. CRANE, II. J. MILLER.

